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With an aim to eliminate rote learning and develop a focus on practical skills, United States has decided to adopt NextGen Bar Exam by July 2026. The National Conference of Bar Examiners will replace the current Bar exam in the US with the Next Generation (NextGen) Bar exam from next year. The exam will evaluate candidates' knowledge in nine legal subjects including constitutional law, criminal law and civil procedure and also test their skills in seven foundational fields such as legal writing, negotiation and client counselling.
As per Reuters, "The NextGen bar exam is the first major redesign of the national lawyer licensing test in 25 years. The National Conference of Bar Examiners began developing it in 2021 with the goal of creating a test that emphasizes legal skills and relies less on the memorization of laws."
The NextGen exam will do away with the three separate components of the current test — the 200-question, multiple-choice Multistate Bar Exam, the Multistate Essay Exam and the Multistate Performance Test. It will also be shorter, at nine hours, compared with the current 12-hour test, and will be given entirely on computers.
Unlike the previous exam, the exam is designed to enhance the practical skills and knowledge that will be required by newly licensed attorney. The exam will comprise of diverse question formats, including integrated scenarios and performance tasks. The states are adopting the new format to align the legal education with the evolving demands of the profession. The exam will be administered in one and half days. The current bar exam spans over two days and focusses on theoretical knowledge.